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New concert venues, a diverse
supporting program and distinctive leitmotifs will define the Audi Summer
Concerts from now on. “We are giving our audience an active way to access
classical music with our new festival program and surprising highlights. We are
also bringing music to museums, for instance,” said Melanie Goldmann, Head of
Culture and Trends Communications at Audi. In addition, fans of the summer
concerts will be able to test the festival air from the very start, as this
year’s festival will start off with the popular classical open-air concerts at
Klenzepark.

“It is primarily the artists and
their ideas that give a festival its profile and that make it something
special,” Goldmann said. “So we are very proud to enter into two strong
alliances with outstanding artists.” Next year Lisa Batiashvili, a violinist
born in Tbilisi, will take over the artistic direction for an initial period of
two years. Her tasks will include developing the concept and planning for the
festival. She will also perform concerts herself. “For me, Germany is the land
of superb engineering and musical creations,” enthused Lisa Batiashvili. She
sees commonalities between Audi and classical music in terms of aesthetics and
modernity. Both demand top-class performance and unbeatable quality.

The 2018 festival will open with
Finnish violinist Kuusisto on July 13 together with the internationally
acclaimed Mahler Chamber Orchestra, which will be performing for the first time
in Ingolstadt. This first of two classical open-air concerts is entitled
“Scandinavian Expanse,” in keeping with this year’s “places of longing”
leitmotif. The program includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 and Scandinavian
works by Grieg and Sibelius as well as Finnish folk music. Pekka Kuusisto
himself will host the evening and will also put his electric violin to use.

Kuusisto will also later perform chamber music during
the Audi Summer Concerts 2018. In addition, numerous other international world
stars will also thrill the audience. The program includes a performance by the
Audi Young Persons’ Choral Academy (with Haydn’s “The Creation”) and a guest
performance by the Salzburg Festival. Unconventional concert venues including
the Lechner Museum and the Museum for Concrete Art represent an additional
innovation being incorporated into the festival concept. The complete program
for the Audi Summer Concerts 2018 will be announced by the company in early
March, when ticket sales will also begin.

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While the GT4 and TCR race cars contested the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge two Audi R8 LMS cars tackled the competition in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, battling for their third victory in the GTD class in the 24-hour race at Daytona. The German Montaplast by Land-Motorsport team repeatedly led this classification in the course of the first nine hours of the race with Kelvin van der Linde/Sheldon van der Linde/Christopher Mies/Jeffrey Schmidt. Then a 5-minute stop-and-go penalty was imposed because the squad was accused of a sporting violation during refueling. The team accepted the penalty. During the night, the mechanics also had to change a defective rear wing. As a result, the number 29 Audi lost four laps in total. Before the finish, the team unlapped itself once and saw the checkered flag in seventh position. The American Magnus Racing team that had won the GTD class with Audi in 2016 achieved position six with Andrew Davis/Andy Lally/John Potter/Markus Winkelhock.

Between now and October, eleven more events are on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar and nine other events will follow in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. Audi Sport customer racing’s GT3, GT4 and TCR race cars are perfectly represented in another major North American series as well: The Pirelli World Challenge includes ten events between March and September. There Audi’s GT3 sports cars will be battling for overall victories and in the class for TCR race cars Audi is the title defender this year.

Audi Sport customer racing has never before been represented with such a large lineup of customers at so many events on the important North American market. Furthermore, on October 28, the Intercontinental GT Challenge in which Audi is the title defender as well will end at Laguna Seca. It will kick off next week in the Bathurst 12 Hour in Australia where eight Audi R8 LMS will be on the grid.

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As an experienced HR manager, Erik Prieels will strengthen the management of Audi Brussels. Patrick Danau, plant manager of Audi Brussels, considers Erik Prieels to be a proven expert: “We know Erik Prieels to be an outstanding expert in HR and Production. He therefore combines important key skills for upcoming challenges.”

Erik Prieels completed an apprenticeship in the public welfare sector and has been an employee of the automotive plant in the Forest district of Brussels since 1987. At the beginning of his career, he worked at the pre-series center of the former Volkswagen factory in Brussels and later moved to the logistics department. In 2007, Prieels became Head of Logistics at Audi Brussels and in 2012 took over as Head of Operational Human Resources.

His predecessor Thomas Neuhaus has held various management positions at Audi since 1995. In January 2016, he joined Audi Brussels as Director General for Human Resources. Wendelin Göbel, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG and Member of the Administrative Board of Audi Brussels, thanks Thomas Neuhaus for his dedicated efforts in Belgium: “As the production site for the new Audi e-tron, Audi Brussels is a key player within the Audi Group. Thomas Neuhaus has played a major role in shaping this development in terms of human resources and has successfully positioned Audi Brussels as an attractive, future-proof employer.”

Audi Brussels currently has around 3,000 employees who, starting next year, will be actively involved in shaping the future of electromobility: Starting in 2018, the site will produce the brand’s first battery-powered SUV with the four rings, exclusively for the world market. The plant will also get its own battery assembly.

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“Best Cars 2018”: Audi A5 Sportback best midsize modelThe Audi A5 Sportback (fuel consumption combined in l/100 km: 6.5 – 4.1*; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: 149 – 106*) won the “Midsize” category in the 42nd “Best Cars” readers survey conducted by the trade journal auto motor und sport. The five-door coupé topped its segment with the majority of votes. The prize was accepted by Peter Mertens, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at AUDI AG, at the end of January in Stuttgart. In addition, the brand with the four rings also took second place three times – with the Audi A3 in the compact class, the Audi A8 in the luxury class and the Audi Q7 in the “Large SUV/Off-road Vehicles” category. The Audi A1 took third place in the “Small Car” category, as did the Audi A6 in the “Upper Midsize” category. Readers selected from a total of 385 models worldwide in eleven categories. Furthermore the Paul Pietsch Award was presented during the “Best Cars” awards ceremony. With the traffic jam pilot in the new Audi A8 the brand took second place in this competition. This prize for innovative technical developments in the automotive sector has been awarded since 1989 in the name of Paul Pietsch, co-founder of Motor Presse Stuttgart. (January 2018)

“Luxury Car of the Year”: Audi A4 honored by Cars.com The experts at Cars.com, a leading digital automotive portal, selected the Audi A4 as the “Luxury Car of the Year” at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. They praised the midsize model’s versatility, driving dynamics and spacious interior as well as its superior workmanship and luxurious equipment. The numerous body variants were also recognized – from the Audi A4 sedan to the sporty Audi S4 sporty Audi S4 (combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 7.9 – 7.5*; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 179 – 170) to the Audi A4 allroad (combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 6.8 – 4.9; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 154 – 127*), which combines off-road qualities with the versatility of a station wagon. The operation of the Audi A4 impressed with its driver-oriented Audi virtual cockpit and standard Audi smartphone interface. The latter incorporates Apple Car Play and Android Auto and therefore offers the familiar smartphone environment. Assistance systems – including the standard feature Audi pre sense city and the optional adaptive cruise control with Stop&Go and traffic jam assist – ensure comfort and safety on board.(January 2018)

Edmunds CES Tech Driven Awards 2018: Audi honored twiceAudi was honored as the “Most Innovative Automaker” and for having the “Most Innovative Infotainment System” at the Edmunds CES Tech Driven Awards. The awards were accepted by Thomas M. Müller, Head of Electrics/Electronics at AUDI AG, and Alfons Pfaller, Head of Connected Car/Infotainment Development at AUDI AG, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The awards are presented by the CES and by Edmunds, the leading car sales portal in the USA, as a means of recognizing innovative concepts and pioneering technologies in the automotive industry. According to the jury of experts, the traffic jam pilot was the decisive factor in the company’s being named the most innovative car manufacturer. The new Audi A8 is the world’s first production automobile developed for conditional automated ­Level 3 driving. On highways and multi-lane expressways with a physical barrier between opposing lanes, the system handles driving in slow-moving traffic up to 60 km/h (37.3 mph). The (remote) parking pilot and remote garage pilot also made their debut in the new flagship car. They make parking extremely convenient by autonomously driving the luxury sedan into parallel or perpendicular parking spaces as well as garages, and by driving the car back out.­­ Audi was also honored for having the “Most Innovative Infotainment System” thanks to the Audi virtual cockpit and the MMI system. The jury was impressed by the clear graphics, the integrated user experience and the intuitive menu navigation. In addition, the Audi smartphone interface was praised for connecting compatible Android and iOS devices via USB to the on-board infotainment system.(January 2018)

Car and Driver “10Best Trucks & SUVs” 2018: Audi Q7 takes the award in its categoryFor the second time in a row, the US magazine Car and Driver has named the Audi Q7 the “Best Mid-Size Luxury SUV” in the selection of the “10Best Trucks & SUVs.” The jury recognized the roomy SUV’s practicality and driving dynamics as well as its innovative technologies and connectivity. The interior offers premium comfort for seven people: The panoramic glass roof, for instance, provides a light-flooded interior, while the Bang & Olufsen 3D Sound System creates a listening experience similar to that of a concert hall. One highlight is the fully digital Audi virtual cockpit, in which the driver can set various displays for navigation and infotainment. Numerous assistance systems complement the extensive offerings – from the standard Audi pre sense basic and Audi pre sense city to the optional Audi side assist, which warns of vehicles in blind spots. The Audi Q7 is offered in the United States with a 3.0 TFSI V6 engine and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. Both engines are combined with quattro permanent all-wheel drive and an eight-speed triptronic.(January 2018)

“Car of the Year 2018” in Korea: Audi R8 tops in performanceThe Korea Auto Expert Journalist Association has selected the Audi R8 (combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 13.6 – 12.4*; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 309 – 283*) as Car of the Year in the “Performance” category. The jury members selected nominees in four categories from a total of 60 new models that entered the Korean market last year. They made their final decision after extensive test drives. The Korea Auto Expert Journalist Association was founded in 2012 and consists of 25 journalists working for print and online newspapers as well as automotive magazines.(December 2017)

“Connected Car Award 2017”: Audi A8 honored in the “Connectivity” categoryFor the fifth time, AUTO BILD and COMPUTER BILD have presented the “Connected Car Award” for digital trendsetters. The expert jury selected the car with the best connectivity for the first time this year: In the new category, the Audi A8 clearly outperformed its four competitors and impressed the jury with its latest generation of modular infotainment systems, the MIB 2+. The system incorporates the fast mobile radio standard LTE Advanced into the car as well as a comprehensively optimized navigation system based on the map service provider HERE. It is operated via two touch displays in the center console. The Audi virtual cockpit offers full HD resolution of 1,920 x 720 pixels and displays a wide range of information in a highly detailed display. The highlight is the natural language voice control, which understands freely formulated statements and responds accordingly: say “I am cold” and the A8 increases the temperature. “I want a hamburger” and you’re on your way to the next diner. The prize was presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to Thomas M. Müller, Head of Electrics/Electronics at AUDI AG.(December 2017)

“Auto Bild Sportscar of the Year 2017”: victory for the Audi RS 3 SedanThe trade journal Auto Bild Sportscars has awarded the “Sportscars of the Year” award for the 16th time. The Audi RS 3 Sedan (combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 8.4 – 8.3*; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 191 – 188*) garnered 30.43 percent of the votes in the “Small and Compact Production Car” category. With its 400 hp 2.5 TFSI engine, up to 280 km/h (174.0 mph) top speed and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 4.1 seconds, the compact RS model demonstrates outstanding performance – accompanied by its characteristic five-cylinder sound. The award ceremony took place during the Race Night at the 50th Essen Motor Show. A total of 110 cars from tests and driving reports from the last twelve editions of the magazine were available for selection. The award was presented in 15 categories.(December 2017)

Eleven Awards for Audi in Singapore

Numerous new models launched by Audi in Singapore during 2017 were awarded prizes by the local automotive press: